Ludwig's Mansion
by StormWolf91
Summary: Ludwig and Iggy accidentally come across a haunted mansion! Will they be able to get out alive?
1. Chapter 1

**_As you can tell, it's a parody of the video game "Luigi's Mansion", and keep in mind some of the story dialogue (spoken by E. Gadd and the ghosts) are from the game itself._**

**_By the way, some scenes I didn't write, including-_**

**_-Area 1  
-Uncle Grimmly  
-Sitting Room/Sue Pea's room  
-Ceramic studio/Jarvis fight  
-Sealed room._**

**_I was gonna right those scenes, but they didn't really fit in with the flow of the story, sorry :(_**

**_All characters © Nintendo.  
Plot © Nintendo  
Story © me_**

**_Enjoy! :D_**

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LUDWIG'S MANSION

**BOOM!** "Dammit!", Iggy Koopa roared, slamming his fist on the desk. "This is the fourth time it blew up!", he growled, brushing dust and bits of metal off his labcoat and out of his hair. "Calm down, Ignatius", Iggy's older brother, Ludwig, advised as he walked up to the worktable. "Don't call me that!", Iggy snapped before turning his attention back to the invention. "Sorry _'Iggy'_", Ludwig replied, rolling his eyes. "Here. Let me have a look", he said, inspecting the machine. As Ludwig started rewiring some circuits, the device started to smoke. "Uh oh!", Ludwig and Iggy said together before the machine exploded again. "Ugh, I see vhy you're so frustrated", Ludwig grumbled. Iggy sighed and asked, "Think we should scrap the project?". The device in question resembled a Gameboy Advance, but with a few modifications. It was now called the "Stealth Scanner 4000", capable of detecting cloaked enemies in stealth mode. If successful, it would be a big breakthrough for the Koopa Troop military. Not to mention Iggy and Ludwig would get endless praise from their father, King Bowser Koopa. "No. Ve can complete it. Besides, father vill be furious if we don't get a prototype working soon", Ludwig protested. "Yeah, I guess you're right. But after this invention, I'm taking a break from the tech stuff for a while. Bio-Chemical experiments are more my forte", Iggy said. The bespectacled Koopaling then looked at his watch. "4:30? Whoa, we've been here 5 hours!", Iggy exclaimed. "That long, eh? Wanna take a break?', Ludwig suggested. "And maybe raise a little Hell in the process?", Iggy said, a diabolical grin spreading across his fanged snout. "Indeed, brother. Vat did you have in mind?", Ludwig asked as he too started to grin. "Well, last time I was in Toad Town, I stole some fright jars and fright masks from a store. Wanna go and scare some poor saps?", Iggy said. "Lead the way, for ve shall cause trouble of epic proportions!", Ludwig replied, laughing maniacally. Iggy grabbed a backpack and stashed the fright jars/masks inside, along with the Stealth Scanner and a flashlight. Why a flashlight? It was because they had to travel through Forever Forest, one of the darkest places in the region. Ludwig and Iggy hung up their labcoats before heading into the hallway. Unfortunately, they ran into a problem. "Hey nerds! Break another invention again?', Roy Koopa sneered, blocking Iggy and Ludwig's path. "Shove it, Roy! We're not in the mood", Iggy snarled, trying to push his way through. "You got some nerve, punk!", Roy snapped, slamming Iggy against the wall. Ludwig quickly pulled Roy off Iggy. Standing up, Iggy pushed Roy down the stairs, causing Roy to painfully land on his head. "Oooh...", Roy moaned, rubbing his head as his siblings walked by laughing. "Ha! You got him good!", Ludwig laughed. "Heh, I did, didn't I? If I hadn't, he would've broken my glasses!", Iggy replied.


	2. Chapter 2

Later… Ludwig and Iggy were walking through Forever Forest. It was quite dark at twilight so Iggy switched on his flashlight. The two Koopalings had nothing to fear in the dark, since most people feared THEM. "Hmm… Ve keep going vest, right?", Ludwig asked. "Yep. But if we get lost its another story!", Iggy replied.

Unfortunately, getting lost was just what happened. The sun went down a while ago and it was pouring down rain. Ludwig and Iggy were wandering around for the past hour, trying to find their way out. "Oh man, we're screwed! Not only are we lost, its pouring! I can barely see anything", Iggy complained. "Yah, and since its raining, scents vill disappear. Ve von't know vhere ve've been and vhere ve haven't", Ludwig said. "Ugh, THAT'S comforting to know!", Iggy said sarcastically. As they walked, they suddenly heard some rustling in the darkness. "What was that?!", Iggy breathed in a panicky voice. "I don't know…", Ludwig whispered back. A small shadow suddenly ran in front of the Koopalings, and then kept running upon seeing them. "Follow him! He might know a way out of the forest!", Iggy shouted, he and Ludwig quickly giving chase. They were so intent on chasing the shadow that they didn't realize they were out of the forest. In front of Iggy and Ludwig was a large gothic mansion. It looked like a monster's face watching you, with two lit windows on the top floor that looked like intense yellow eyes. The overhanging wood over the door made it look like the house had fangs. "Is this Bow's mansion?", Ludwig questioned. "No, I've never seen this place before", Iggy replied as he and his brother approached the dark house. To their surprise the door was unlocked. Ludwig and Iggy found themselves in a dark foyer. "Who lives here, Dracula?", Iggy joked, walking into the center of the room. Ludwig looked up to see a large chandelier above Iggy… a chandelier that broke off from the ceiling! "WATCH OUT!", Ludwig shouted, knocking Iggy out of the way a split second before the chandelier fell to the floor with a loud CRASH! "What just happened?!", Iggy exclaimed. "I'm not sure… but it looks like someone doesn't vant us here…", Ludwig replied in the same shocked tone. "CORRECT!", a voiced screamed out of nowhere. A group of ghosts suddenly appeared out of the darkness. "Leave this mansion if you know what's good for you!", a gray ghost threatened. "Or perish!", an orange ghost added. "Ya don't to tell us twice!", Iggy cried as he and Ludwig ran like heck from the mansion.

"Are they still following us?", Ludwig panted as they ran through the forest and rain. Iggy looked over his shoulder to see nothing. "No, but keep running!", he panted back. The two Koopalings kept running until they reached another clearing. There was a tiny house at the end of it. "Who lives here, now?!", Iggy wondered. "Let's check it out. Maybe they vill have something to do vith the ghosts", Ludwig responded. They walked up to the house and knocked on the door. A tiny bespectacled old man in a labcoat answered it. "I've been expecting you", he spoke. "What?", Iggy and Ludwig asked, confused. "I'll explain. Hurry up and come in. This place is ghost-proof so it'll be safe", the old man replied in a more serious tone. Ludwig shrugged before walking in, Iggy following suit. The small façade of the house was just a trick, as there was a massive lab and house underground. "Now… vat is this about?", Ludwig demanded. "You're Bowser Jr.'s older brothers, right?", the old man asked. "Yeah, why?', Iggy said unsurely. "Ah yes, good! Allow me to introduce myself. I am Professor Elvin Gadd, President of Gadd industries. But just call me E. Gadd for short!", the man now known as E. Gadd said. "E. Gadd, huh? Nice name", Iggy laughed. "It is isn't it?", E. Gadd laughed back. He then cleared his throat and continued, "That mansion you two were just in, well it's haunted". "No duh, Sherlock", Iggy said sarcastically. "We could do without the comments, thank you! Anyway, someone freed all of my portrait ghosts. Unfortunately, I didn't get a clear look at their face, but chances are they're holed up in the mansion. I need your help to get those ghosts back", E. Gadd explained. "Sounds suspicious. But vhy do you need us? Surely you can do it yourself?", Ludwig inquired skeptically. "Does it look like I'm in any shape to go ghost hunting?!", E. Gadd exclaimed incredulously. "I was back in the day though", he added as an afterthought. "OK, so when do we get started?", Iggy asked, adjusting his glasses. "In a few hours. I suggest you rest a bit before doing this kind of thing. Not to mention we have some training to cover", E. Gadd said. He opened the lab door and walked down a hallway, Iggy and Ludwig following behind him. E. Gadd stopped at a door and opened it, motioning for the two Koopalings to come inside. "Here's my living room. I'm afraid there are only some couches, so you'll have to sleep on those", E. Gadd said. "Its fine", Ludwig told the professor. "Good! I'll be ready in a few hours", E. Gadd stated. "Uh… OK", Iggy replied, sitting on one of the couches. After E. Gadd left the living room, Iggy lay down and took off his glasses. "Not my day…", he thought.


	3. Chapter 3

A few hours later, Iggy was asleep, his chin resting on his paws as he lay on his stomach with a small smile on his face. He was probably having a good dream. "Wake up, Iggy!", E. Gadd's voice sounded, jerking Iggy awake. "What?!", Iggy growled in an irritated tone. "Get up! Its time to go!", E. Gadd said, rubbing his hands together excitedly. Iggy just frowned in reply as he followed the professor down the hallway. Ludwig was already waiting for them in the lab as the two walked in. "OK! Time to get down to brass tacks! You two have to get in that mansion and catch all those ghosts!", E. Gadd said. "And just how are we going to do that? With a net?", Iggy asked, not taking one bit of this seriously. "Of course not! You use these!", E. Gadd said happily, pulling out two red machines that looked like vacuum cleaners. "Vacuums? Vell, I suppose that could vork", Ludwig asked. "No, these are Poltergust 3000s! Capable of catching any ghost! My friend Luigi used this back in 2001 to get all my portrait ghosts back last time. He also saved his brother Mario in the process", E. Gadd explained. "You mean you're allied with the Mario Brothers?!", Ludwig and Iggy asked, thunderstruck. "Well, yes I am", E. Gadd replied, confused. "Sorry, doc, but we don't help those pesky plumbers!", Iggy said, walking towards the door. E. Gadd sighed unhappily, then noticed the Stealth Scanner 4000 sticking out of Iggy's backpack. "Say, what's that you got there?", he asked. "What, this? It's a radar position scanner, but it's only a prototype. Why?", Iggy replied, holding up the device. "I can fix that for you if you'd like… on one condition", E. Gadd offered with a smile. "Let me guess, you vant us to catch the ghosts, THEN you'll fix it", Ludwig said, crossing his arms. "Right! You two are a sharp duo, I'll give you that!", E. Gadd replied. "You drive a hard bargain, Gadd… OK, we'll help you. On OUR condition. Remember to keep your end of the deal. 'Cause if you don't… well, you know what the Koopas are capable of", Iggy said. "Of course of course! And now, to the training room!", E. Gadd said, exiting the lab.

In the training room… "All right, I'm going to start the session! But first I'll lay down the instructions. When you're in the dark, try switching off your flashlight. When a ghost appears, turn it back on to stun him! When you see its heart, suck him in with the R button in conjunction with the C stick on your Poltergust 3000. There's also the L button for spraying fire, water and Ice, but you'll have to collect the Elemental Medals first. …OK, ready?", E. Gadd explained. "Yes!", the Koopalings confirmed. "Begin!", E. Gadd yelled as the training room was plunged into total darkness. Ludwig and Iggy stood in the dark, waiting for the first ghost to appear. Suddenly, a large blue ghost appeared behind Ludwig! "Stun him with your flashlight!", E. Gadd ordered. The blue-haired Koopa quickly turned around and switched on his light. The ghost gave a painful yelp as it froze in its place. ""OK, Ludwig, press the R button!", E. Gadd said. Ludwig quickly vacuumed up the ghost within seconds. It tried to escape but it was a futile effort. "Excellent! Now it's your turn, Iggy!", E. Gadd said. Iggy gulped nervously. A green ghost appeared, munching on some bananas. "Now, watch out for the banana peels", E. Gadd warned. "Bananas?!", Iggy exclaimed. He ran up close to the ghost and switched on his flashlight. The ghost was stunned, allowing Iggy to catch it. The green ghost put up a fight, but Iggy managed to vacuum it in. He then slipped and fell on one of the banana peels the ghost left on the floor. "Ouch!", Iggy yelped. "Yeah, watch out for those. Next round!", E. Gadd said.

The training continued for about a half-hour, Iggy and Ludwig got a lot better at handling the Poltergust 3000s given to them. The room lit up E. Gadd walked in. "Let's see how you did… Iggy, you caught 8 ghosts while Ludwig caught 10. Amazing work for your first tries", E. Gadd said. "That's good to hear", Ludwig said with a nod. "All right, are you two ready to head to the mansion for the real thing?", E. Gadd asked. "Yes", Iggy and Ludwig answered. "Good. Now before you go, take these", E. Gadd said, handing them each a device that looked like an ordinary Gameboy Color. "These Gameboy 'Horrors' will allow me to communicate with you. It also has a map of the mansion and a special camera that lets you inspect ghost items", E. Gadd explained. "Cool!", Iggy said, interested.


	4. Chapter 4

After saying goodbye to E. Gadd, Ludwig and Iggy left the lab and walked back into Forever Forest. A few minutes later, they reached the mansion and walked inside. They found a set of double doors in the foyer, leading deeper into the gloomy house. "Jeez, this place sure is creepy!", Iggy whispered as he and Ludwig walked down a dark corridor. "Thanks for stating the obvious", Ludwig grumbled, keeping his Poltergust 3000 at the ready. "Where do we even start, here?", Iggy asked, scratching his head in confusion. "Let's have a look at the Gameboy Horror. That vill help us out:", Ludwig suggested. Iggy looked as his Gameboy Horror and said, "Says here there's an unlocked bathroom down the hall". "Let's go then", Ludwig acknowledged. When they walked into the bathroom, they found it to be seemingly empty. "Strange... vhere are all the ghosts?", Unbeknownst to them, a small shark-like ghost with long arms appeared behind them. It creeped up behind Ludwig, then started to choke him! Ludwig yelped in pain, trying to shake the ghost off. "Do… something!", Ludwig choked out. Iggy's claws raked through the air, slashing through the apparition. The ghost gave a despairing wail as it dissipated into nothing. "Thanks for zat", Ludwig said gratefully, rubbing his throat. "…I forgot to tell you! There are some ghosts that'll try and strangle you. When that happens, shake 'em off as quickly as possible", E. Gadd spoke through the Gameboy Horror. "Ve'll keep that in mind", Ludwig told the professor before signing off. Iggy and Ludwig inspected the bathroom, which was easy since there were no ghosts attacking them and the lights were on. Ludwig spotted a shiny object on the shelf. "It's a key", he said, snatching it off the shelf. "And according to the map, it goes to the ballroom!", Iggy added.

They headed into the ballroom to find several pairs of ghostly shy guys dancing at the far end of the room. As Iggy and Ludwig approached, the shy guys stopped dancing and glared at the Koopalings. "Uh oh!", Iggy said. A green shy guy glided up to Iggy, attempting to stab him with a pitchfork! "Yikes! A little help here, Ludwig!", Iggy exclaimed, dodging the attack. "I'm trying! But the light von't stun them!", Ludwig shot back, frustrated. He tried vacuuming the Shy Guy head on, only to suck in its mask instead. The Shy Guy screamed and covered its face. "Vait a minute… Iggy! Get the guy vith no mask!", Ludwig shouted. Iggy did so, and successfully captured the Shy Guy. "I get it, the weak point's its face! All we need to do is vacuum the masks first", Iggy realized. "Yeah, get those and ve'll be able to catch them", Ludwig replied. The captured Shy Guy's partner suddenly materialized in front of them, pitchfork ready. "Shall we?", Ludwig asked with an evil smirk. "Oh yeah", Iggy said. The Shy Guy attacked, but it didn't stand a chance against the Koopalings. Soon, the room was cleared of all the Shy Guy ghosts. "That was awesome! But now what?", Iggy said. Something apparently answered his question, as the floor beneath Ludwig and Iggy's feet started to rotate slowly. "Did you HAVE to say zat?", Ludwig growled, trying not to lose his footing. "Heh, sorry!", Iggy apologized with an embarrassed grin. A small orange glow appeared over the rotating floor. "Vat's that?", Ludwig mused. Iggy took out his Gameboy Horror and scanned the room. A pair of ghosts appeared on the screen. "Looks like a pair of ballroom dancers. But how can we get 'em?', Iggy stated. "Ve vait until they finish this round of course", Ludwig answered matter-of-factly. The pair of ghosts stopped dancing to glare at the Koopalings. "Ha! It looks like these brats have two left feet!", the woman mocked. Ludwig grinned. "WRONG!", he yelled, spitting a fireball at the ghosts. They yelled in surprise as they froze in their place. "Now, Iggy!", Ludwig ordered. Iggy quickly sucked in the ghosts, turning all the lights on in the room. A small blue chest appeared in the middle of the room. Ludwig approached it, but Iggy kept his distance. "Be careful! You don't know what's inside!", he warned. "I know! Just let me handle it, all right?!", Ludwig snapped, opening the chest to reveal… a key! "Oh good! It's just a key…", Iggy said, relieved. Ludwig rolled his eyes, then asked, "Vere does it go, if you're so sure of everything?". "Right there", Iggy answered, pointing to a door on the right side of the ballroom.

They walked into the room to find boxes, chairs, and various other supplies. "Look twice at everything, since storerooms usually have hidden goodies", Iggy said as he looked through some boxes. A few orange and pink ghosts popped up to hinder them, but Iggy and Ludwig caught them without much trouble. The lights switched on, but there was no treasure chest. "Zat's odd", Ludwig spoke. Iggy looked around, and spotted a switch. "Hey, look at this, Ludwig", he said curiously, pressing the switch. The storage room expanded a few meters as the fake wall moved to reveal a trap door. "I wonder what's down there…", Iggy asked warily, bending down for a closer look. "I'd guess another switch activates the door, do you see one?", Ludwig speculated. Iggy shook his head no in reply. Ludwig walked around the extended section of the storage room, looking for some sort of method to open the trap door. He spotted an ominous looking poster, which had a picture of something behind bars. The word "DANGER" was written at the top in big red letters. Ludwig ripped off the poster to find a button behind it. Ludwig pressed it. The trap door slowly opened… and a gang of Boos burst out! "AAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!", Ludwig and Iggy screamed in terror as the Boos zipped around the room wildly. "Freedom!", one of the Boos yelled happily. Another Boo flew in front of Iggy and Ludwig, its tongue lolling out of his mouth in a disgusting fashion. This one was bigger and had a red crown on top of his head. "Hahaha! Thanks for busting us out, Koopa brats! Now we're gonna scare you to DEATH!", he yelled. The Boos then flew out of the room and into other parts of the mansion. Iggy and Ludwig just stood there, shaking like mad. "Whoa! That was REALLY creepy!", Iggy stammered, still shivering. "You're telling me…", Ludwig replied, standing up. The Gameboy Horror suddenly started to vibrate. "Ludwig! Iggy! Are you both OK?", E. Gadd spoke through the device. "Yeah… we're fine", Iggy replied shakily, holding up the GB Horror to see it more clearly. "It turns out you released King Boo and his gang. That's NOT a good sign! Come back to the lab, I have something important to show you", E. Gadd said.


	5. Chapter 5

Back in the lab… "So, vat did you vant to show us?", Ludwig inquired. "Well, I wanted to show you the Gameboy Horror's secret function. It has a built-in Boo Radar! See, when the light is blue, there are no Boos in the room. But when it turns yellow, there IS one in the room. And if the light is red, you're at its hiding place! Catch 'em quickly before they escape to another room, 'cause they sure move fast! Lastly, the Boo Radar doesn't activate until the lights are on in a room. Got all that?", E. Gadd explained. Iggy and Ludwig nodded. "Good. Now, the map indicates that there are eight lit rooms. There were 6 on the second floor that you didn't visit. But they're lit, which is very odd…", E. Gadd said. "Then someone's already been there…", Ludwig speculated. "But who is it?", Iggy asked. "That's vat ve have to find out", Ludwig replied. "OK, lets go!", Iggy said. "One more thing before you leave, beware of the Elemental Ghosts! You'll have to find the Elemental Medals first in order to catch them", E. Gadd warned. "We know the drill", Iggy acknowledged before they left.

Iggy and Ludwig headed back to the mansion and walked into the lobby. "Come to think of it, we DIDN'T explore those rooms", Iggy said. "Ve'll have to be careful, as ve don't know vat's vaiting for us up there", Ludwig advised. Iggy and Ludwig nervously entered the parlor… to find it lit. Nothing out of the ordinary, right? "Heads up, Ludwig. The Boo Radar's goin' off", Iggy whispered, pointing to a china cabinet. As the two Koopalings approached the cabinet, the Boo Radar started beeping red. Iggy put a hand on the cabinet, clutching the handle while Ludwig raised his Poltergust 3000. Iggy quickly threw open the cabinet, and a Boo appeared. "I am Bamboo, if you please!", the Boo exclaimed as he darted about the room. "Jeez, this guy's fast!", Iggy yelped as the Boo zoomed over his head. Ludwig jumped onto a table and vacuumed up "Bamboo" before he escaped. "Good job! You caught your first Boo! See, the trick is that they like to hide under furniture and cabinets whenever they're stuck in a lit room. I recommend turning on all the lights in the mansion. That'll flush 'em out for sure!", E. Gadd said. "Thanks for the tip, professor", Iggy replied.

Ludwig and Iggy went through the anteroom, wardrobe room, study, master bedroom and baby's room; where they caught Bootha, Gameboo Advance, Taboo and Boolicious. "Iggy, Ludwig, you're on fire when it comes to catching ghosts! That last Boo you caught unlocked the washroom on the ground floor. Why don't you have a look there?", E. Gadd told the Koopalings. "Sure", Ludwig acknowledged as they walked out of the bedroom. Walking past the study, Iggy stopped and looked at the door. "Hm, vat is it, Iggy?", Ludwig asked. "Before we go downstairs again, we should check in here. Maybe they have some books that can help us out", Iggy suggested. "Hm, good thinking", Ludwig agreed as they walked into the study. Iggy took a book off the shelf. "Book of Paricles…? There are spirits known as Elemental Ghosts. They live in Fire, Water and Ice. To handle these Elements, one must first obtain an Elemental Medal. Perhaps the ghosts are only visible to the bearer of such a medal", Iggy read. "That information may be of use to us…", Ludwig said thoughtfully. He then took another book off the shelf and looked at it. "Lydia's Child Care Diary?", he wondered aloud. "What's it say?", Iggy asked. Ludwig opened the book and skimmed through the pages. He stopped and read the most recent entry, "The twins are very shy for their age. They've even gone and hid the key to their room deep within the mansion. They got mad at me for twirling their toy helicopter mobile the other day. Kids today!". "Heh, weird!", Iggy chuckled.

Iggy and Ludwig went back downstairs and into the ballroom, where they caught their 7th Boo, known as "Boo La La". They walked into the storage room where another Boo was waiting. "Just call me GameBoo!", he said, taunting the Koopalings by flying up to the ceiling. Iggy climbed up on a stack of crates and easily captured "Gameboo". "I've always been a fan of the classics", he said, climbing back down. "OK, now that ve've caught the Boos, we should go to the vashroom", Ludwig said. When he and Iggy went in, they found it completely normal. "Dang it! There's nothing here!", Iggy said in a frustrated tone. "Hang on, Iggy. Don't jump to conclusions", Ludwig replied, bending down and picking up a key near the toilet. "No wonder I need glasses!", Iggy joked. Ludwig shook his head and checked the Gameboy Horror. "The key goes to the room behind the foyer", he spoke. The two brothers left the washroom and walked down the hallway. Suddenly, a ceiling ghost dropped down behind them! "AAAHHH!", Iggy and Ludwig screamed, jumping a foot in the air. The ghost laughed and threw a bob-omb at them! Ludwig and Iggy quickly ducked behind the table as the bomb exploded. "Whoa! That was nuts!", Iggy exclaimed. "You think?", Ludwig answered, equally startled.

They walked over to the door the Gameboy Horror led them to. Iggy opened it with the key and walked in, followed by Ludwig. The room they were in was pretty strange looking. A candle stand was in each corner and a small pedestal was in the center. A crystal ball was on the table as a female ghost sat behind it, deep in meditation. "A fortune-teller's room? This place has everything!", Iggy said as he and Ludwig walked into another room, connected to the fortune-teller's room.

This room was pretty much empty save for a giant mirror, a small cabinet and a few candle lamps. "Eh, nothing in here", Ludwig said as he reached for the door, only to find that it was now locked! "Crap!", Iggy and Ludwig said together. Several of the shark-like ghosts, I'll call them "strangle-ghosts" from now on, materialized in the room. "What the-?! I can't see them!", Iggy panicked, looking around in all directions. "The mirror! Look at it!", Ludwig yelled, vacuuming up a ghost that snuck up on him. Iggy glanced at the mirror to see a strangle-ghost approaching him from the left. Iggy whipped around and slashed at it. The ghost shrieked in pain as it was caught. Several more ghosts appeared, but they weren't visible unless Iggy and Ludwig looked in the mirror. It was tricky at first, but they managed it. Ludwig sighed in relief as the lights switched on. A large red chest appeared at the far end of the room. Iggy opened it to find a small red medal with a flame in the center. "Hey, is this…", Iggy started, but was interrupted as the Gameboy Horror rang. Ludwig picked it up as E. Gadd appeared onscreen. "What have you got there?", he asked. Iggy held it up to the screen so E. Gadd could see it better. "I believe its one of those Fire Medals", Iggy speculated. E. Gadd nodded. "Yep, you're right, sonny! With it, you can catch fire ghosts! When you're near fire, the ghosts will appear and you'll be able to catch 'em. Press the L Button on your Poltergust 3000 to shoot fire. You can melt ice, light candles, do all kinds of stuff! But keep an eye on your Elemental Meter, you don't wanna run out at the wrong time! Also keep in mind that you'll need to use fire to beat some ghosts", E Gadd explained. "But ve can both breathe fire, so vasn't it kinda pointless to fight all those ghosts to acquire this medal?", Ludwig asked. "Never hurts to have any extra ammo, eh?", E. Gadd countered. Ludwig just shrugged. "Vatever. I still think it vas a slight waste of time", he sighed. He was interrupted as the Boo Radar started beeping. Iggy made a head gesture over to the only cabinet in the room. Ludwig tackled it with his shell, knocking the Boo from its hiding place. "Feel the wrath of Kung Boo! HYAAH!", the Boo yelled, attempting to Karate-chop Ludwig. The blue haired Koopa simply moved out of the way before vacuuming up the Kung Fu Boo. "I dunno if these Boos are witty or stupid", Iggy said, shaking his head. Iggy walked up to the door to try and open it again, but it was still locked. "Grr… How are we gonna get out?!", he growled, slamming his fist against the wall. Ludwig looked over at the unlit candles. "I bet light these lamps vill shed some light on it", Ludwig said, lighting the candlesticks. Sure enough, the door unlocked! "Good call, Ludwig!", Iggy praised, his hand up for a high five. "Sure, ve can say that", Ludwig replied, raising his own hand.

They walked back into the fortune-teller's room to see 4 more candle holders in the room. Iggy smiled and lit the candles, causing a key to fall onto the floor. "Let's visit this room later, ve'll check the next room first", Ludwig said. The key led to the laundry room, where all they needed to do was catch some ghosts. After the lights switched on, Ludwig opened the cabinet and the washing machine to find the Boo. "Yo, get down! I'm Boogie!", the Boo said in a hip tone. Ludwig and Iggy simply looked at each other in confusion before Ludwig caught the Boo. "If there's one thing I'm learning from this, its that there are so many bad puns you can use", Ludwig said. "I concur", Iggy replied as he and Ludwig walked back down the hallway. They stopped dead in their tracks as a floating unlit candle approached them "Wh-wh-what's that?!", Iggy stammered, hiding behind Ludwig. "I don't know… Vait! The candle…", Ludwig said. He stalked up to the object and lit the candle with his fire breath. An old man in a butler suit appeared, yelling and running down the hallway. "AAHHH! FIRE!", he exclaimed, rushing past Iggy and Ludwig. "Let's follow him!", Iggy yelled running after the butler. The butler ran through the laundry room and into a dark servant's quarters. He put out the fire and sat on a stool. "Now, Iggy!", Ludwig shouted. Iggy quickly captured the butler, turning on the lights. For an old man, the butler, AKA Shivers, was pretty darn quick. "What a creepy place, even with the lights on", Iggy said as he looked around the room. "Who cares? Ve have a key", Ludwig replied, taking a key from the chest that just appeared. They left the dingy butler's room and walked back to the spot where they found the floating candle. Unlocking the door with the newly acquired key, they walked inside.


	6. Chapter 6

When Ludwig saw the room, his mouth went agape. "What's wrong?", Iggy asked, looking at his older brother in confusion. "It's a music room!", Ludwig said happily. It certainly was, as there was a plethora of instruments around the room. Ludwig was snapped out of his reverie as the sound of a piano caught his attention. Iggy pulled out his Gameboy Horror and searched. A young woman, well, er, ghost, was playing a Baby Grand piano on the other side of the room. She noticed the two Koopalings and glared at them. "Hmph! It looks like these two clowns couldn't play a note!", she said disdainfully. Ludwig grinned, confusing Iggy even more. "What the Heck are you smiling at?!", Iggy demanded, starting to get annoyed. "This girl says we cannot play music, when she's so obviously mistaken! Iggy, hand me that Clarinet, will you? You play the xylophone", Ludwig said. Iggy shrugged and handed Ludwig the woodwind instrument. They started to play a marvelous medley of the "Super Mario Bros." theme. Melody appeared in front of them, clearly impressed. "Whoa, why didn't you tell me you we so good?", she said, amazed. "You never asked", Iggy replied coolly. "I am Melody Pianissima, spectral beauty of the ivory keys. Since your and your brother here are so knowledgeable about music, would you like to play a little game. "What is it?", Iggy and Ludwig dared to ask. "Guess the song", Melody answered. Ludwig smiled confidently. "No problem!", he said. Melody smiled as started playing her piano. It was the theme from Super Mario Bros. 3. After a few minutes of playing, she said, "OK, what's your answer. Ludwig thought for a moment. "…Is it the Super Mario Bros. 3 theme? Oh God, please be right…", Ludwig guessed. "Yep! You got it! Now in return, I'll help you out", Melody said. "Sweet! Let's hear some info!", Iggy said eagerly. "In the courtyard, there's a well. I heard some frightened screaming coming from down there. Maybe you can check it out", Melody suggested. "Ludwig rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Sounds interesting. OK, thanks, Melody", he said. "Hang on, take the key to the dining room", Melody said, tossing Iggy the key. "And one more thing, beware of Bogmire", Melody added. "…Bogmire?", Iggy repeated, scratching the back of his head. "He's the cemetery shadow. Be careful! If he catches you, you'll never be able to escape the mansion", Melody warned. "We'll keep that in mind. Thanks for your help", Iggy replied before he and Ludwig left the music room.

Iggy and Ludwig walked down the dark hallways of the mansion. "Say, you hungry?", Iggy asked in an attempt to break the frightening silence. "Yeah, but there's probably no food here", Ludwig replied. They came to a pair of double doors, where loud chomping and grunting noises were heard inside. Ludwig slowly opened the door and they walked inside. It was the dining room no doubt, as a large table laden with food sat in the center. Two torches were also in the room, along with a pair of china cabinets. The chomping noises resumed. Iggy took a tentative step forward and lit the torches with his fire breath. A shape was now seen in front of the dining table. It was a HUGE pink ghost with little piggy eyes, shoveling food into his mouth with both hands. "You know, I think I've lost my appetite", Ludwig whispered in utter revulsion. Iggy nodded. "Ve have to do something about this guy", Ludwig said. Iggy just smirked in reply. The ghost was too busy stuffing his face that he didn't noticed Iggy creep up. With a quick swipe of his paw, Iggy knocked the plate away from the obese ghost. THAT got his attention. With an outraged shot, Mr. Luggs, (you'd know this if you have Luigi's Mansion) belched a fireball at Iggy, sending him flying into the wall. "Iggy!", Ludwig cried, running over to the dazed Koopaling. "Are you OK?", Ludwig asked, helping Iggy to his feet. "Its OK, Ludwig, he only grazed me", Iggy said through gritted teeth, clutching a burn on his left shoulder. Mr. Luggs suddenly belched another fireball at them! "Get down!", Ludwig yelled, pushing Iggy to the ground as the fire sailed over their heads. "What do we do?", Iggy asked fearfully as he ducked under the table. "Ve have to fight him back somehow", Ludwig replied, avoiding another fireball. Iggy shot up and blew one of his own fireballs at Mr. Luggs, but it didn't have any effect. "Well, that's not working!", Iggy said. After belching about 12 fireballs, Mr. Luggs slumped over on the table, panting from exhaustion. "NOW!", Ludwig shouted. Iggy jumped up and tried to vacuum Mr. Luggs, but due to his size, he dragged Iggy around like a ragdoll! Iggy managed to drain about half of Mr. Luggs' stamina before the ghost broke free of the Poltergust 3000's pull. Even angrier, Mr. Luggs started to shoot fireballs a lot faster. "Oh man… for a fat guy he's pretty tough", Iggy gasped, trying to dodge the barrage of fireballs. Mr. Luggs became tired again and fell over onto the table. This time, Ludwig tried to vacuum the tenacious apparition. With Iggy's help, Ludwig managed to bang Mr. Luggs, the lights turning on shortly after. "You're right, Iggy. He was a pain to beat", Ludwig panted. "We're not done yet, bro", Iggy replied, pointing to another door.

Walking through it, Iggy and Ludwig found themselves in a kitchen. There was a fire burning in front of the door that led outside. Iggy looked over at the fridge, licking his lips. "Hey! There's food inside after all", he said, walking over to the fridge and opening the door. But instead of food, a ghost appeared! "Yikes!", Iggy exclaimed as he jumped out of the way. Iggy tried stunning it with his light but it wouldn't work! "I can't stun him!", Iggy cried frantically. A jet of fire suddenly erupted from Ludwig's Poltergust 3000, engulfing in ghost in flames. Its heart appeared as it screamed in agony. With that, Iggy vacuumed up the ghost before it could attack again. "It vas an ice ghost", Ludwig stated. "Like I don't know that know", Iggy snapped. A blue chest appeared by the stove as the lights came on. Ludwig opened it to find a blue medal with a drop of water in the center. The Gameboy Horror started beeping as E. Gadd appeared onscreen. "What did you find this time? Let's take a look! …Ah, it's a Water Medal. Now you can use water! My research shows that particular Elemental Ghosts leave their watery dwellings whenever you approach! You know the drill, vacuum 'em up! There are some ghosts who can only be beaten with water. Also remember that water has purifying properties", E. Gadd spoke. "Yeah, sure", Iggy replied, catching a water ghost and spraying out the kitchen door fire. Ludwig kept the fire ghost while Iggy had water.

They walked outside to a small yard. There was a doghouse with the word "Spooky" marked on it, a small sign, and a garden with a dying plant. "Heh, Larry would be appalled at the state of the plants, here", Iggy said, watering the malnourished fern. A noise came out of the darkness as a bulldog ghost came waddling out of the doghouse. It spotted Iggy and Ludwig and started barking angrily. "Damn it!", Iggy exclaimed, trying to stun the dog. But unlike the previous ghosts, it had no effect. Iggy ducked as Spooky leaped at him, attacking his water bowl instead. The dog's barking apparently attracted some attention, as a mangled skeleton rose from the ground. "Oh for the love of dirt! Someone shut that dog up!", Mr. Bones yelled, throwing a rib at the two Koopalings. "Iggy, distract the dog! I'll get the skeleton!", Ludwig ordered, dodging another bone. Ludwig crept up behind the tombstone and attacked Mr. Bones. As he vacuumed up the skeleton, a spare bone fell on the ground. Spooky bounded over to the bone and started chewing it. A stupid move, as Iggy went to town with his Poltergust 3000, capturing the guard dog. "Ugh, I hate this scare fest so much", Iggy muttered as he and Ludwig climbed over the stone wall and into the cemetery. "Oh please! You're scared of your own shadow!", Ludwig scoffed. The cemetery was obviously full of tombstones, and one large stone at the far end of the area. "You can't really plan for these kinds of things, huh?", Iggy wondered, looking at the tombstone nearest to him. Suddenly, around half a dozen skeletons rose from their graves, their empty eye sockets gazing at the two Koopalings. "Not good!", Iggy and Ludwig said together as the skeletons lobbed various bones at them. "Stupid ghosts! Why won't they just give up?!", Iggy grumbled as he threw a bone back at a skeleton. "Just fight them!", Ludwig yelled back as he defeated two of the skeletons. Iggy growled and violently attacked one, scorching it with fire.

A few minutes later, Iggy and Ludwig managed to defeat all of the skeleton ghosts, causing the large tombstone to glow under the light of the moon. As Ludwig and Iggy walked up to the tombstone, lightening stuck the ground before it, flinging the two Koopalings back a few meters. A purple zombie-like ghost rose from the grave, its arms outstretched and groaning. "V-v-v-vat IS that?!", Ludwig managed to say as he trembled like mad. "I-its Bogmire! A-and you s-s-say I'M scared of shadows!", Iggy retorted. "Shut up and run!", Ludwig snapped. He and Iggy ran as fast as they could, but before they could escape over the wall, darkness enclosed the area.


	7. Chapter 7

Ludwig and Iggy were in a large circular stone area surrounded by a spiky iron fence. "What is this?", Iggy asked. "I don't know, but I don't like it one bit…", Ludwig growled. Suddenly, several bolts of lightening struck the ground and Bogmire appeared, along with some of his shadow minions. "How are we gonna beat this creep?", Iggy stuttered, trying to keep his cool. "First things first, ve have to take care of those minions", Ludwig replied. A 10-foot shadow minion appeared in front of Ludwig just as he finished the sentence. As Ludwig attempted to vacuum it, the shadow was balled up into a large sphere, like a projectile. Ludwig looked over to see Bogmire controlling his minions like a grotesque puppet master. Ludwig shot the shadow creature at Bogmire, causing him to be engulfed within darkness. "Get him, Iggy!", Ludwig shouted to his brother, who was nearby. Iggy attempted to capture Bogmire, but the cemetery shadow as far too strong. Iggy was only able to drain about a fifth of his health before Bogmire escaped, throwing Iggy against the wall. **HARD**. Iggy tried standing up, but the pain in his head was too much. He collapsed on the ground, unconscious.

Ludwig heard a cry from behind him. He turned around to see Iggy knocked out on the floor, Bogmire closing in…. "NO! I won't let you take him!", Ludwig roared, throwing a fireball at Bogmire. Bogmire staggered back a bit, but quickly recovered. Ludwig ran over to Iggy and lifted up the unconscious Koopaling. It was very difficult to fight a ghost and protect someone, you see. Ludwig set Iggy down on the ground and vacuumed one of Bogmire's minions. He saw Bogmire on the right side of the arena. The blue haired Koopaling scowled and shot the shadow ball at the purple apparition. Ludwig drained about half of Bogmire's health before Bogmire escaped again. Ludwig whirled around to see several shadow minions surrounding Iggy… Ludwig spat a jet of fire at them, incinerating the shadow minions. Ludwig ran back over to Iggy, who was still unconscious. "Come on, Iggy… wake up!", Ludwig muttered to himself. Bogmire suddenly appeared behind Ludwig along with a shadow ghost. Ludwig caught the shadow and shot it at Bogmire. With his health a lot lower, Ludwig vacuumed up Bogmire with not much of a problem. He and Iggy were transported back to the cemetery. Ludwig used some water to revive Iggy. He slowly opened his eyes and staggered to his feet. "Uhh… what happened?", Iggy groaned, putting a hand to his head. "You vere knocked out ven Bogmire attacked you", Ludwig replied, helping Iggy climb over the wall and into the yard. "No kidding", Iggy grumbled. "*static* Ludwig…. *static* … Iggy… *static", came out of nowhere. Ludwig took out his Gameboy Horror to see the faint image of E. Gadd on a snowy screen. It suddenly returned to normal. "Ludwig! Iggy! Glad to see you're still OK! I lost your signal when that lightening hit. That was some battle you had there. Now, why don't you guys come back to the lab? Catching a boss ghost takes a lot out of the Poltergust 3000", E. Gadd said. "Anything to get outta this place!", Iggy replied.

Back in the lab… "Its great you both made it back in one piece! Looks like you two caught a ton of ghosts there! So why don't you put 'em through the Ghost Portrificationizer", E. Gadd said. Upon seeing Ludwig and Iggy's blank expressions. E. Gadd hit his forehead. "Oh! I forgot! You two haven't seen it yet", he exclaimed, leading Iggy and Ludwig to another section of the lab. A huge machine stood at the end of it. "Vat in the vorld is this thing?", Ludwig asked. "The Ghost Portrificationizer! I invented it when I was in my 20s. It turned ghosts into portraits and even works in reverse! …Maybe I shouldn't have put that function in, since King Boo released all my portrait ghosts that way. Anyway, just plug in your Poltergust 3000s and lets give it a shot!", E. Gadd spoke. Iggy and Ludwig plugged them in, and the Ghost Portrificationizer crackled to life. "Now, the ghosts are invisible, so we need to press 'em into visible forms. And presto! Turn 'em back into ghost portraits!", E. Gadd explained as he showed Iggy and Ludwig each stage of the process. "Impressive invention, Gadd", Ludwig praised. "Thanks. I hear you two are superior inventors yourselves!", E. Gadd replied. "You could say that", Iggy said, smiling. "By the way, I fixed up your Stealth Scanner 4000! One of the wires were damaged is all", E. Gadd said, handing Iggy the device. Ludwig frowned. "You forgot to check for damaged viring?", he asked, slightly annoyed. Iggy gave an embarrassed grin for the second time. Ludwig shook his head, then smiled. "Vell, at least it vorks now", he said. "This radar scanner is state-of-the-art. Anyone or anything, cloaked by tech or invisible by magic will be able to appear to the user! You'll be able to turn the tables on those ghosts now, eh?", E. Gadd said. "Yeah, I didn't even think of that! Thanks, E. Gadd", Iggy said. "Even so, watch out! The ghosts in the next area are gonna be a lot worse that the ones you faced before", E. Gadd warned as the two Koopalings left the lab.


	8. Chapter 8

Iggy and Ludwig walked into the courtyard to the right of the cemetery in back of the mansion. "Hey, check this out!", Iggy said, pointing at something. "Vat?", Ludwig asked. "It's that well Melody told us about", Iggy replied as he walked up to it. "Help me! Someone! Grr… Let me GO!", a voice suddenly screamed from the bottom. *What the Hell's that?!", Iggy gasped, stepping back a bit. Ludwig said nothing, he just jumped to the bottom. Iggy just sighed and jumped in after him.

The bottom of the well would've been pitch black if Ludwig and Iggy didn't have flashlights. Iggy looked around and saw a bit of light in the wall. "Look, there's an opening at the end", he said. The two Koopalings walked up to the small opening and peered through it. There was a large underground room with an altar at the far end of it. King Boo was hovering over the aforementioned altar, gazing at a painting of… BOWSER?! "Let me go you son of a bitch! I'll kill you over and over when I get outta here!", Bowser roared. "Pfft! Gimme a break! A mortal like you cannot defeat me!", King Boo scoffed. "Even though I hate to admit it, Luigi managed to defeat you before!", Bowser grumbled. King Boo frowned. "He got lucky!", King Boo snapped. He then turned around, thinking. "In case someone DOES come looking for you, fat chance by the way, I'd better warn the others to keep their guard up…", King Boo said. He then disappeared through the ceiling, leaving Bowser trapped alone in the room. "ROAR! GET BACK HERE!", Bowser shouted furiously. King Boo ignored him of course. "Dad!", Iggy called out to get Bowser's attention. Bowser looked over to spot his two sons looking back at him through the well. "Ludwig! Iggy! What are you two doing here?", Bowser asked in surprise. "It's a long story, dad. But how did King Boo capture you?", Ludwig said. "Well, I got an anonymous letter in the mail. It came with a map. The letter said that the person had a fool-proof plan to beat the Mario Brothers. I couldn't resist, so I headed to the mansion. The second I walked in, I was attacked by a gang of ghosts! I wasn't able to fight them all, since there were so many. I blacked out due to the fact they attacked me with a massive blast of dark magic. When I came to later, I found myself trapped in this wretched painting!", Bowser spoke. After the Koopa King finished his tale, Iggy laughed slightly, causing both Bowser and Ludwig to look at him in bewilderment. "And just WHAT is so funny?", Bowser growled, glaring at Iggy. "I can't believe how stupid you'd have to be to believe that!", Iggy laughed. "ROAR! Shut up and get me out of here, dammit!", Bowser yelled angrily. Iggy tried squeezing through the opening, but it was far too small. "Its too small for us to get through! We'll just have to find another way in!", Iggy said. "But don't vorry, ve'll get you out! You can count on it", Ludwig added. Bowser groaned in an annoyed way. "My life is in the hands of you two? Ugh, its like I'm in some lame fanfic!", Bowser complained. "Wow, you really believe in us, huh?", Iggy asked sarcastically. "Will you just get going and help me?!", Bowser snapped.

Ludwig and Iggy climbed up the well's ladder and back into the courtyard. Walking past a shed and some hideous statues, they found another door on the right side of the courtyard. The door led into a gym. Weights, exercising machines, mats and punching bags were strewn about the room. There was a large weight in the middle of the room being lifted by some unknown force. Ludwig took out his Gameboy horror and searched. "Big muscle-head ghost. Figures", Ludwig stated. The ghost, AKA Biff Atlas, appeared in front of the Koopalings and glared at them. "Who're you callin' a muscle head, fatass?", Biff scoffed. Instead of arguing back, Ludwig hit the punching bag in front of Biff, sending the huge ghost flying into the wall. Unfortunately, Biff was able to get back up and return the favor. Ludwig was seeing stars as he fell to the ground in a daze. Biff looked at Iggy with a snide grin. "You're next, shrimp!", he said, throwing a punch at Iggy. Iggy dodged the attack and jabbed the punching bag, sending Biff into the wall again. Biff fell to the ground, disoriented. Iggy attempted catching Biff, but he was far too strong for the bespectacled Koopaling. Biff grabbed Iggy by the collar and threw him onto the ground. Iggy was seeing double of everything around him. Biff approached menacingly, about to finish off the dazed Koopa. However, Iggy found a weight next to him. He stood up, stumbling a little, and hurled it right at Biff's head. **BAM!!! **Biff fell to the ground, out cold. Iggy grinned and vacuumed up the ghost. Ludwig got up, rubbing his head. "Good vork", he said dazedly. "Thanks, if only I could do that to Roy, though", Iggy replied rather jokingly. He looked at the bump on Ludwig's head and frowned. "You OK? That's one heck of a hit you took", Iggy said. "Its fine, I took worse than this", Ludwig replied. After catching the Boo, whose name was "Booregard", Ludwig and Iggy walked up to the second floor.

"Hey, do you smell something burning?", Iggy asked. "Yeah, I… vatch out!", Ludwig said. He spotted a door with a small pit of fire burning in front of it. Ludwig doused the flames with water, putting it out. When the smoke cleared, Iggy and Ludwig opened the door and entered the tearoom. "There doesn't seem to be any ghosts here", Iggy said, casually walking around the room. "Never let your guard down", Ludwig scolded as two strangle ghosts appeared in front of them. Ludwig quickly defeated the strangle ghosts, prompting the lights to come on. "Wow! That was easy!", Iggy said. A large silver chest suddenly appeared on one of the tables. Iggy opened it to find a silver medal with an ice crystal in the center. "This has to be the last medal", Iggy declared. "Right!", E. Gadd's voice came out of nowhere, startling both of the Koopalings. "Don't DO that!", Ludwig hissed. "Heh heh, sorry about that! Anyway, yes, it is the Ice Medal. So now you can use the Ice Element! Ice ghosts are only found in chilly places, like freezers. And if you press the L Button hard, you can shoot a frigid chunk of ice at an enemy. It can also be pretty effective against water. Even a hot bath can get cold pretty quickly if you ice it down. Yep, that's a useful weapon you have there", E. Gadd explained. "Awesome!", Iggy said excitedly, catching an ice ghost. Before they left, Ludwig checked the room for a Boo. Upon opening a cabinet drawer, surely enough… "Jingle Jangle! Mr. Boojangles!", the Boo said gleefully as he flew about the room. Ludwig quickly froze the ghost with Ice power as soon as the ghost got near him. "E. Gadd's right. The ice comes through in a pinch", Ludwig said as he and Iggy left the tearoom.

They walked down the hall, stopping at a door that was surprisingly unlocked. It turned out to be another bathroom. The shower was on and a feminine silhouette was slightly visible through the curtain. Iggy grinned and walked up to the shower. "Hey, mind if I take a peek?", Iggy said, pulling back the curtain. But instead of a beautiful woman like Iggy expected he would see, it was an extremely fat one sporting a skimpy bikini and shower cap. Did I also mention she looked like an over-inflated pig? "Eeek! How dare you!", Miss Petunia shrieked as she attempted to cover herself. "Yikes!", Iggy yelped. In his surprise, he accidentally shot a bit of ice as Miss Petunia, freezing her solid. Iggy quickly vacuumed the overweight ghost while she was stunned. "What?", Iggy asked Ludwig, who was staring at Iggy in a peculiar fashion. "I don't know vich vas more disgusting, the fat chick or your display of sexual perversion", Ludwig replied in disbelief. Iggy smirked and checked his Gameboy Horror. "Hey! There are two rooms that we didn't check on the first floor. And that's where this key goes to", Iggy said. "Let's go then", Ludwig stated briskly as they left the bathroom.

Going downstairs, they found the unchecked room. It was a billiards room, with chessboards, a pool table, and some dartboards. A cue stick was lifted off the shelf and started to float toward the pool table. "Its some skinny guy playing a round of pool", Ludwig said, putting away his Gameboy Horror. As Slim Bankshot, the ghost's name, was about to start, Iggy snatched a ball off the table and threw it at Slim. Slim yelled in surprise and slumped to the ground. Ludwig took this chance to capture the pool shark. Slim immediately snapped out of his daze and tried to escape. He was so fast that he was able to drag Ludwig around the room! "Don't just stand there! Help me!", Ludwig scolded Iggy, who was watching the struggle. "Oh! Sorry", Iggy exclaimed. He grabbed another ball and threw it at Slim. This time, the ball went straight through his heart. "Ugh…", Slim groaned, his head hanging limply on his shoulders. When he was down, Ludwig was able to drain the rest of the ghost's health. "E. Gadd vas right, these ghosts are more powerful than the ones ve previously faced", Ludwig said to Iggy. "It took you that long to figure it out?", Iggy joked. "No you idiot! I'm just stating a fact!", Ludwig argued. "I was just joking, lighten up!", Iggy replied as they walked into the projection room. The room was pitch black and empty, save for a projection camera, a screen, a cabinet and two speaker towers. Iggy walked up to the projector and turned it on, making the room a lot brighter. However, several strangle-ghosts appeared. And to make matters worse, they were completely invisible! "Dang it! How are we supposed to see them?!", Iggy exclaimed as he looked around in all directions. "Ve don't. The Stealth Scanner 4000 vill take care of that", Ludwig replied, activating the gadget. A green flash erupted from the device and spread across the room. As it did so, the strangle-ghosts became visible. Ludwig smirked and said, "Ready to turn the tables on these urchins?". "Of course…", Iggy replied in the same tone. The strangle ghosts recoiled in fright, since the Koopalings could see them now. Five minutes later, the ghosts were easily caught by Ludwig and Iggy. "Heh, this is too easy!", Iggy boasted as the lights switched on. An orange box appeared in front of the projector. "Strange, ve haven't seen one like this before", Ludwig thought aloud as he opened the box. Ludwig found a large spiked collar inside and held it up. "Hey, its dad's collar!", Iggy exclaimed, taking a closer look. "Yes, but vat do we do with it?", Ludwig asked. Iggy just frowned. "…I don't know", he replied with a shrug. The rainbow-haired Koopaling checked his Gameboy Horror. "Get this, there's another unlocked room upstairs that we haven't checked", Iggy spoke as they walked out of the projection room.


	9. Chapter 9

Iggy and Ludwig walked back upstairs. It turned out that the place was adjacent to Miss Petunia's bathroom. The room looked like a lounge of sorts. Two couches were at the far side of the room, along with a coffee table and a dresser next to them. A bookshelf was placed against the wall. An elderly ghost sat in a rocking chair, knitting a scarf. She didn't notice Ludwig and Iggy sneak in, so she resumed her knitting. Ludwig tiptoed up behind Nana and took a ball of yarn off her table, looking at it curiously. "AAAHHHH!", Nana screamed as she started to zoom around the room in her rocking chair. "Whoa! Watch out!", Iggy exclaimed as Nana rushed past him. Instinctively, Ludwig hurled the ball at the ghost. Once it hit her, Nana disappeared! "Vere did she go?! I can hear her but I can't see her!", Ludwig asked, glancing around the room. Iggy took out the Stealth Scanner and turned it on. It turned out that Nana was hiding next to the bookshelf. Iggy nodded and pointed to the spot. As Ludwig grabbed another yarn-ball, Nana became visible again! She zoomed up to Ludwig and… suddenly shot lasers from her eyes?! "Agh! Vat the Hell?!", Ludwig yelped as he dodged the lasers. He threw the ball at Nana, stunning her again. Iggy quickly froze Nana in a block of ice so she wouldn't turn invisible and escape. After finally catching Nana, the lights came on. "I know we saw lots of weird stuff in this mansion, but this takes the cake!", Iggy exclaimed, opening the treasure chest and taking the key. "You haven't seen many laser-shooting old women then, eh?", Ludwig joked. Iggy smirked as he took out his Gameboy Horror and checked the map. "This key goes to a bedroom on the second floor. Y'know, in that area someone already went through?", Iggy stated. "Its probably the twins room, since ve read that they hid their key deep in the mansion. I guess Nana must be their grandma, so they gave it to her for safe keeping", Ludwig theorized. "Then lets pay those twins a visit!", Iggy said. He and Ludwig left Nana's room and went back to the foyer.

A few minutes later, they walked to the bedroom area in the west wing. The twins' room was slightly dark, but the Koopalings were able to see it. There were some toys littered about, while there was a desk and globe on the left side of the room. A bunk bed and dresser were to the right while the walls were adorned with posters of rock bands and monster movies. "Ugh, how creepy…", Ludwig muttered. "I know… There aren't any video games! Jeez, these kids must be bored out of their minds!", Iggy replied. Ludwig frowned and looked up, spotting a helicopter mobile hanging from the ceiling. "Hey Iggy…", Ludwig started. "Hm?", Iggy acknowledged as he inspected the desk. "Vhen ve vere in the study, remember zat in the diary, the twins' mother wrote that they got mad at her for spinning their helicopter mobile?", Ludwig asked. "Yeah, what's your point?", Iggy inquired, waiting for an answer. "If we spin the mobile, the twins vill appear to us!", Ludwig snapped impatiently. "Oh! OK, let's give it a shot", Iggy said, turning on his Poltergust 3000 and aiming it upward, causing the mobile to rotate. Suddenly, two small boys appeared in front of the two Koopalings. "Hey, what are you guys doing in here?", they asked. "Er…", Iggy trailed off, unsure of what to say. "Wanna play Hide & Seek with us?", one of the twins suggested. "Uh, sure?", Ludwig replied. "Yay! OK, we're gonna hide now, so you two wait outside for a minute", the twins told the Kooplaings. Iggy and Ludwig walked back into the hallway. A few seconds later- "OK! You can come back in now!", the twins called. The two Koopalings walked back in to see five boxes strewn about the room. The twins were hiding in them obviously. "Turn on the Stealth Scanner", Iggy whispered to Ludwig. The blue haired Koopa switched on the device, determining the location of the twins. The first twin was hiding in a box made to look like a dice while the other was hiding in a box with a star on it. "Hey, that's not fair! Play right, cheaters!", the twins sulked. The twins suddenly disappeared, then reappeared. The first piloted an airplane, while the second was driving in a go kart. "Dang it!", Ludwig cried as a bomb narrowly missed him. He and Iggy climbed up the ladder and onto the top bunk. "Let me handle this! I know twins", Iggy insisted. He shot a fireball at the first twins plane, bringing him down. Iggy quickly captured the airborne ghost before he recovered. He jumped down to the floor to face the second twin. He froze the go-kart in a block of ice, rendering it useless. Then he caught the twin. "Nice one, Iggy. You made quick vork of those brats!", Ludwig praised as he jumped down off the bunk-bed and the lights switched on. The Boo Radar started beeping red as Ludwig walked by the globe. Ludwig shoved it slightly and a Boo flew out of it. "Call me Booris! Und be afraid!", the Boo proclaimed in a thick Russian accent. "Dasvedanyah, Booris", Ludwig retorted, catching the Boo. An orange treasure chest appeared. Iggy opened it to find a purple book with the words "Bowser's Diary" emblazoned on the front cover. "Ludwig, look! Its Dad's diary!", Iggy exclaimed, handing it to his older brother. "Hmm… ve also found father's collar lying around… That could mean only one thing: Dad's giving us a list of clues to help us", Ludwig spoke. "Maybe his diary has something", Iggy mused, skimming though the book and stopping at the latest entry. "If anyone is reading this, go to the fortune-teller's room!", Iggy read aloud. "That's next to the mirror room! Come on, Iggy! Dad needs us!", Ludwig exclaimed, rushing out of the twin's room. Iggy pocketed the diary, then followed suit.

Ludwig and Iggy entered the fortune-teller's room. When they shone their flashlight beams on the crystal ball, the fortune teller appeared. "What… do you seek of me?", she spoke in a mystical voice. "We need your help. Can you get a spiritual vibration from these?", Iggy asked, handing her the collar and the diary. "Ah… indeed I can. I am Madame Clarivoya, seer of dropped items! Possessions of other people awaken visions in my spirit!", Madame Clarivoya said. She held the two items in her hands and they started to glow. Madame Clarivoya set them down by the crystal ball, then recited a spell: "Now the spirits come! Come spirits of power! Come spirits of sight! Show us the awful things occurring here tonight! Crystal orb, symbol of my clan, use your powers to show us all you could- I mean, CAN! Show us all you can! Show us this… Bowser!". Iggy and Ludwig stared in amazement as the crystal ball started to glow. "The light of the spirits come and show us what we seek! Ah yes, it comes now… Bowser is trapped, but where? Wait… a painting! Yes, a painting! He's trapped by… King Boo! Yes, the leader of the Boos imprisoned Bowser with dark magic! He still lives, however… but is torn between the mortal world and the spirit world!", Madame Clarivoya told the Koopalings. "Ve already know that! Just tell us how to free him!", Ludwig replied impatiently. "Hang on… I see another vision!", Madame Clarivoya exclaimed. "What? Who is it?", Iggy demanded. "Its… its Giga Bowser!", Madame Clarivoya said dramatically. Ludwig and Iggy stared at each other, eyes wide in shock. "A-a-are you sure?!", Iggy stammered. "The orb never lies. King Boo somehow managed to channel Giga Bowser's power into a physical manifestation! …Wait, no! My visions are leaving me! I'm afraid there's nothing more I can do, for that was the last of my power! Now I can return to my painting in peace", Madame Clarivoya said. Ludwig, obeying her wish, captured the fortune teller, finally activating the lights. Iggy took the key and checked his Gameboy Horror. "Looks like we're headed for the third floor!", he stated. "Hmm… I don't know why, but I have a feeling something terrible is about to happen", Ludwig said. "Quit worrying, Ludwig! Now that we know what King Boo has in store for us, we'll be a step ahead of him!", Iggy replied reassuringly as they climbed the stairs to the third floor.


	10. Chapter 10

The third floor was dark and dingy, with only a single light bulb hanging from the ceiling. Ludwig opened the door, only to be hit with a huge cloud of dust! "Ugh! This isn't good for my allergies- ACHOO!", Iggy let loose a massive sneeze. "I know vat you mean, this place is disgusting!", Ludwig replied. He vacuumed up most of the dust cloud so they wouldn't sneeze as much. The room was a total mess, several leopard skin rugs lay on the dank wooden floor while a few deer head trophies were mounted on the wall. There was a table against the wall holding several boxes. As Iggy walked up to the table, a large blue ghost appeared behind him. With a wild yell, it slammed its fists on the ground, creating a shockwave! Iggy was thrown back by the sheer force, which sent him crashing into the wall. The ghost had a water sphere in its center, which meant he had to be frozen. "Vatch it, Iggy!", Ludwig shouted as the ghost was going to slam the ground again. Iggy quickly retreated into his shell as the wave passed. Steadily on his feet again, Iggy froze the foe in a block of ice. The ghost was pretty strong, so it was able to break free. But not for long, as Iggy stunned and defeated the apparition. Another water ghost appeared, along with two banana ghosts. Iggy disabled the ghost's power while Ludwig captured it. The banana ghosts weren't too hard to capture because the Koopalings fought them frequently. After the lights came on, a Boo flew out from one of the boxes. "Little Boo Peep lost sheep!", it exclaimed as it flew about the room. "Get a Collie, then", Ludwig replied as he sucked up the ghoul. "Hahaha your one-liners suck, Ludwig!", Iggy laughed. "Shut up", Ludwig snapped.

The twosome left the room and walked down the dark, decrepit hallway. Iggy and Ludwig then walked out onto the balcony. It was gigantic and carved out of slate. Wilted plants lined the rails while a pair of ugly statues were set at opposite ends of the balcony. Ludwig and Iggy didn't have time to gape however, as their Gameboy Horrors started beeping like mad. "Jeez, the Boo Radar is going off the Richter Scale!", Iggy exclaimed. "Obviously, look!", Ludwig replied. He pointed over to the left side of the balcony, where fifteen Boos were floating in a circle. "Think we can take 'em out?", Iggy whispered. "Maybe, just follow my lead", Ludwig replied. The Koopalings tiptoed over to the Boo circle. "So those scaredy-cat Koopalings made it this far… Oh we're so frightened! I guess its our turn, now. All right, Boos! Let's assume our real form… But first, how about giving these brats a little scare?", one of the Boos spoke. They surrounded Iggy and Ludwig with evil grins on their faces. Ludwig tried to attack the Boos, but they were too powerful. Ludwig was thrown back and crashed into statue, knocking him unconscious. "No! Ludwig!", Iggy cried. He tried running over to the statue to assist his older brother, but the Boos wouldn't let him pass. A white mist filled the area and then everything went black…

When Iggy came to, he still found himself on the balcony. The only difference was that the two statues were covered in ice, and that Ludwig was nowhere to be seen… Iggy looked up, and to his horror, he saw a HUGE Boo coming right at him! "AAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!", Iggy screamed as Boolossus came down with a massive CRASH! The Boo laughed maniacally as it started to chase poor Iggy around the arena. "Oh man! What do I do?!", Iggy panicked as he hid behind a statue. As Boolossus jumped over the statue, he got caught on the horn, which made him explode into fifteen smaller ghosts! Iggy looked on in confusion as the Boos wildly flew around the balcony. "Maybe if I can freeze them…", Iggy thought, vacuuming an ice ghost and jumping out from behind the statue. Iggy fired at a cluster of Boos, freezing them in a block of ice. Iggy quickly captured them before they could escape. The remaining Boos fused back into Boolossus, but was considerably smaller. Then it hit Iggy: He had to pop Boolossus on the statue, then freeze the smaller Boos in ice. Iggy ducked behind the statue, and when Boolossus tried to strike, he was punctured by the statue! Iggy froze and caught four more Boos, cutting their number down to four. The Boos started flying more aggressively, even hitting Iggy a few times! The Koopaling winced as a Boo zoomed by and hit him in the face. Iggy snarled and slashed through the Boo with his claws, effectively stunning it. Iggy froze the ghost, then went after the last three Boos. The trio charged at Iggy, but he turned the tables by unleashing a massive blast of ice from his Poltergust 3000, finally freezing them!

Iggy was transported back to the regular balcony, where he found Ludwig waiting. "Iggy, vat happened? All I remember is the Boos attacking us, then everything vent black", Ludwig asked. Iggy leaned against one of the statues, clearly tired. "I was taken to this arena where I had to fight this Boo the size of a bus!", he said with wide eyes. Iggy's Gameboy Horror suddenly started to ring. As Iggy picked it up, E. Gadd appeared onscreen. "Iggy, can you hear me?", he asked loudly. "Affirmative, Gadd", Iggy acknowledged. "Oh, what a relief! That white mist cut off your signal", E. Gadd exclaimed. "Yeah, it was a group of Boos. They also fused into one huge Boo and attacked us!", Iggy answered. "That had to have been Boolossus! He was the last ghost I captured before King Boo set them all free! You seem to have done some serious work, there. Why don't you two come back to the lab? We can have dinner while we plan our next move", E. Gadd said.

Back in the lab, after the ghosts were put through the Ghost Portrificationizer, they went to the kitchen. "Anyway, King Boo was infuriated when he found out that I caught Boolossus. He then led the rest of the Boos in a revolt against me, freeing Boolossus from his painting, along with all of my other portrait ghosts", E. Gadd was saying as he poured coffee into three mugs. Ludwig suddenly thought of something. "Professor… I have a question", he began. "Shoot", E. Gadd replied, taking a sip of coffee. "Ve have a big problem. It turns out that King Boo has our father, Bowser, held hostage in a painting of their own. How in the name of science can ve revive him back to his normal state?", Ludwig asked. A smile spread across E. Gadd's face. "Don't worry, the Ghost Portrificationizer will take care of that! Not only can it turn ghosts _into _paintings, it works in reverse, too!", he explained. "Wow, you thought of everything… You're a genius, Gadd!", Iggy praised. E. Gadd shrugged modestly. "True, but it was also one of my biggest mistakes. Since all of my portrait ghosts were freed that way", he replied. "Either way, it'll help us rescue our dad", Iggy pointed out. "Well, if you say so… but when you get to the third floor, be careful. I don't even know who's lurking up there", E. Gadd warned.


	11. Chapter 11

Later, Ludwig and Iggy made it back to the third floor balcony. As Iggy reached for the door handle (the one on the left side of the balcony), several lightening bolts struck the mansion! "AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!", the Koopalings screamed as they were thrown back by the force. The whole area then plunged into darkness. "Criminy, what a calamity! The electricity has gone out; those lightening strikes must've killed the power! I can't see a thing in this blasted darkness… The ghosts will have the run of the place in the dark, so be careful!", E. Gadd spoke over the Gameboy Horror. Sure enough, at least eight ghosts appeared, and went straight for the two Koopalings! "Oh man, we're screwed!", Iggy cried as he hid behind Ludwig. "No ve're not! Jump!", Ludwig yelled, leaping off the edge of the balcony. Having no other options, Iggy ran over to the railing and jumped off as well. He painfully landed in the courtyard a minute later. Coming out of his shell and getting to his feet, Iggy groaned. "Remind me never to do that again", he said. "Ve're not out of the woods yet, ve still have to turn the power back on", Ludwig pointed out. "There's usually a power generator in the basement… follow me!", Iggy replied, running off to the left.

When they got back into the mansion, the hallways were full of ghosts! "According to the map, the basement is near the fortune teller's room!", Ludwig exclaimed as he dodged a group of ghost bats flying towards him. As they neared the center hallway, numerous ceiling ghosts popped up to hinder the Koopalings. Ludwig and Iggy retreated into their shells, sliding down the hallway and avoiding the ghouls. Ludwig wrenched the basement door open and they ran inside. Jumping down the flight of stairs (why waste time walking anyway?) Iggy and Ludwig made it to the basement. There was a large steel door to the right, and a decrepit wooden door on the left. They chose the right and walked inside. The room was damp and gloomy; a dusty old table sat in front of the door while about 20 barrels of God-knows-what was stacked against the wall. And to the left of the barrels was- "A generator! See? I knew there was one around here somewhere!", Iggy said happily, walking up to the machine and starting it up. The lights in the breaker room switched on along with the rest of the lights in the mansion. "Glad to see zat's taken care of", Ludwig spoke, relieved. The brothers then left the room and went to the one adjacent.

Now, if I could use only one word to describe the cellar, here it is: Dusty! The whole room was coated in dust, piles of it lay on the floor while sheets of it enveloped the shelves. "Oh no, my allergies are goin' haywire in here- ACHOO!!!", Iggy couldn't stop sneezing! Ludwig sighed in annoyance as two pink ghosts appeared. He caught them easily, turning on the lights in the cellar. Iggy grabbed the key and checked his Gameboy Horror. "It seems that these ghosts are getting wiser when it comes to hiding keys, because this one goes to a room on the third floor", Iggy said.

The two Koopalings made it back up to the third floor. They were finally able to go through the left door on the balcony. They walked down the narrow hallway to the last door on the left. The room appeared to be an attic, as trunks, boxes and cabinets lay within the room, not to mention half a dozen telephones. "Why keep every phone in the house all in one room? How pointless…", Iggy mused aloud as he opened a trunk. Instead of finding various knick-knacks, a skeleton ghost rose from the inside! "Eeek!", Iggy cried as the skeleton lobbed a bone at him. Ludwig came to Iggy's aid by trapping the ghost in a block of ice. "Iggy, you have to be careful! Next time you might not be so lucky!", Ludwig scolded. "Well excuse ME for not expecting a skeleton to pop out of the freakin' trunk!", Iggy snapped indignantly. There were two unopened trunks left, two of them containing skeleton ghosts. After the lights came on, Ludwig and Iggy walked into the room attached to the telephone room.

This room was very strange. There were three large playhouse models against the wall, with a large square hole in the ceiling over them. Next to the models were shelves lined with cuckoo clocks. Several dusty marionettes hung from the ceiling. And to top it all off, three toy-soldier ghosts stood erect against the house models, not moving an inch. "This is too creepy", Iggy muttered fearfully. "Huh… they don't seem to be moving at all… Why, though?", Ludwig wondered. Iggy glanced at the cuckoo clocks on the shelves. "Maybe if we turned these on…", he started, winding up the clocks. They started to emit an eerie tune which sent a chill up the Koopalings' spines. The three clockwork soldiers suddenly sprung to life and started to march around the room. One of them even went up to Ludwig and shot him with its toy gun! Ludwig yelled in surprise and jumped back. He noticed that there was a wind-up key on the soldier's back. "Iggy!", Ludwig called out. "Yeah?!", Iggy called back while dodging a soldier's gun. "See those vind-up keys? I need you to get them off the- OW!", Ludwig was cut off as another soldier hit him in the nose. Getting the message, Iggy snuck up behind one of the soldiers and swiped the key off its back. The soldier slumped to the ground, unable to move. Iggy caught the toy specter and quickly did the same with the other two. The lights flickered on, but a treasure chest didn't appear. "What the-? Where's the key?", Iggy asked, confused. Ludwig looked up and the ceiling and spotted the shaft. He walked up to the center model and opened its door. The inside revealed a square elevator pillar. "Looks like ve're headed to the roof", Ludwig spoke, stepping onto the square. Iggy ran over and got on as well. The elevator slowly rose up toward the ceiling shaft…


	12. Chapter 12

Iggy and Ludwig found themselves in a small pitch-black room a few minutes later. A small crack of light indicated where the door was. They opened it and stepped out onto the roof. A thick mist covered the area and the dark sky, with the moon being the only source of light. Well, that and a fire set up on the right side of the roof. Six Shy Guy ghosts were dancing around the bonfire, oblivious to Ludwig and Iggy's presence. That was an advantage. The two Koopalings snuck up on the ghosts, but as soon as they caught the first one… "This can't be good!", Iggy squeaked as the remaining five Shy Guys glared at him, pitchforks raised. Iggy jumped to the left as several pitchforks flew towards him. Ludwig joined in the action and froze two Shy Guys at once. Iggy managed to vacuum another Shy Guy while Ludwig took care of the two frozen ones. There was only one Shy Guy ghost left, now. Seeing as he was alone, it attempted to flee. That was a futile effort on his part, as Iggy quickly chased after the ghost and captured it. "Vell, zat's zat", Ludwig spoke, dusting off his hands. As if to challenge his statement, two ice ghosts appeared in front of him, laughing shrilly. Ludwig's eyes widened as one of the ghosts swiped at his head. Ludwig fell on his back, slightly dazed. As the ghosts attacked again, Iggy came to Ludwig's defense, incinerating the phantoms with his fire breath. Iggy vacuumed the scorched specters, then turned to Ludwig. "And you say I shouldn't let my guard down!", Iggy laughed, helping Ludwig to his feet. Ludwig scowled at Iggy. "Hey! I didn't expect two ice ghosts to appear like that!", he protested. "Whatever you say…", Iggy scoffed, rolling his eyes. The roof was lit up, but there was no treasure chest in sight. "What do we do now? Without any more keys, we're stuck!", Iggy asked, frustrated. Ludwig thought for a moment. He glanced at the two large chimneys on the opposite ends of the roof. "Those chimneys look like zey have something to hide", Ludwig spoke, approaching the left chimney and climbing up the ladder. "Find anything?", Iggy asked once Ludwig got to the top. "Yep! There's a key!", Ludwig called out. Ludwig jumped off the chimney and showed the key to Iggy. The Koopalings then headed back down to the third floor via the clockwork room elevator.

The key led to the room adjacent to the telephone room. Surprise surprise, it was another storage room. Dusty suits of armor and various trunks cluttered up much of the place. Iggy walked up to a trunk and opened it, causing a ghost to jump out! Iggy dodged the attack and defeated the apparition. "All the ghosts are hiding in the trunks and armor. We just need to flush 'em out!", Iggy said. He strode up to a suit of armor and shook it, revealing a red strangle ghost, which Ludwig promptly vacuumed. Clearing out the rest of the ghosts was pretty easy from then on. All Ludwig and Iggy needed to do was open the trunks or shake the armor. Several minutes later, the room was ghost free. And as the lights came on, a treasure chest appeared. Grabbing the key inside, Ludwig and Iggy left the room and headed down to the basement.

After going through the dusty cellar again, the two Koopalings walked into the dark hallway. There were only two rooms in that section of the basement, excluding the door that led to King Boo's secret altar. The key fit into the door on the right. This room was apparently the control center for the mansion's water supply. A stream of sewage ran diagonally through the room's center. A pressure valve was on the far side of the room, while on the right was a pipe network. In the corner, a waterfall was slowing from the ceiling and into a drainage gate in the stone floor. Three strangle ghosts suddenly appeared to attack the Koopalings, but were easily bested by the Poltergust 3000s. Ludwig noticed a shiny glint of metal through the rushing water. He and Iggy jumped over the sewage stream (would you wade through that? I wouldn't) and landed on the other side. Ludwig turned the pressure valve, causing the waterfall to recede back into the drain. Iggy walked over to the drain and swiped the key. "Only two more rooms left before we face King Boo", he spoke, checking his GameBoy Horror and pocketing the key. Ludwig and Iggy left the pipe room and went back into the hallway.

It turned out that the key led right next door. As the Koopalings walked inside, they were hit with a massive blast of cold. "Jeez, its like Ice Land in here!", Iggy chattered, folding his arms and shivering. This room was obviously a freezer, as shelves of frozen food were stacked up against the wall. In the upper left-hand corner of the room, they found what appeared to be a man frozen in ice. "I wonder how long this guy's been frozen…", Iggy mused aloud. "I don't know, but ve're going to UN-freeze him and see vat he knows", Ludwig replied. He walked up to the block of ice and started to melt it with his fire breath. The man's eyes snapped open. "Agh! Too hot! You're making it too hot! I'm going to cook in this heat! I'm going to melt!", the ghost, AKA Sir Weston, exclaimed. He looked down and glared at Iggy and Ludwig. "Did YOU two light these fires?! What were you idiots thinking?! People who start fires in this mansion had better be ready to pay the price! Now learn your lesson!", Sir Weston shouted angrily. He suddenly shot a barrage of icicles at the Koopalings in retaliation! "Vatch it!", Ludwig yelled, shoving Iggy out of the way as the icicles impaled the wall, just where they were seconds ago. As Sir Weston kept attacking, icicles started to fall from the ceiling as well. Iggy managed to get up close to Sir Weston after dodging several salvos of icicles. "How about a little fire, snowman?", Iggy growled, shooting a firestorm from his mouth. The ice around Sir Weston completely melted, leaving him unprotected. Iggy trued to catch Sir Weston, but the slippery ice that covered the floor gave the clumsy Koopaling bad footing. Iggy was able to drain about half of Sir Weston's health. Before he slipped and fell. Taking this opportunity, Sir Weston shot a massive ice blast at Iggy, freezing the Koopa himself! "You're next…", Sir Weston leered at Ludwig. The blue-haired Koopa simply glared at Sir Weston, then blew a stream of fire from his mouth. "NOOOO!!!", Sir Weston wailed despairingly as he crumpled to the ground. Ludwig quickly vacuumed to ghost before he got up again. A treasure chest appeared so Ludwig opened it and acquired the key. He looked around at Iggy, who was still frozen in ice. He looked like a fly trapped in an ice cube. Chuckling at the thought, Ludwig melted Iggy out of the icy prison. Iggy fell on his hands and knees, panting slightly. He then looked up at Ludwig. "'Bout time you got me outta there…", Iggy grumbled as he stood up. "If you're gonna come out talking like that I should've just left you there", Ludwig shot back, folding his arms. "Hey, I was just joking!", Iggy said defensively, holding up his hands. "…So where's this key go to?", Iggy asked. Ludwig checked his GameBoy Horror. There was a single unchecked room on the third floor, highlighted in gray. "Third floor. Let's go", Ludwig replied brusquely, he and Iggy leaving the cold storage and heading back up the stairs again.


	13. Chapter 13

Five minutes later, Ludwig and Iggy made it back up to the third floor. The last room turned out to be an artist's studio. Various sculptures lined the shelves while portraits hung on the walls. A ghost wearing a smock and a beret was floating at the far end of the room. He was painting a picture of a treasure chest. Hearing the Koopalings walk in, he turned around to face them. "Eet is you two, no? You rotten brats! How dare you interfere with my afterlife's work! Now I will show you how ze true mastery of my art!", Vincent Van Gore (the ghost) spoke in a heavy French accent. The painting closest to the Koopalings started to glow… And suddenly, a trio of orange ghosts appeared! Being the easiest enemies, they were defeated in a matter of seconds. The next painting harbored a trio of pink ghosts. They too, were caught. The process continued for a few minutes, after which Iggy and Ludwig fought trios of the following: Orange ghosts, pink ghosts blue ghosts, strangle ghosts, shy guy ghosts, banana ghosts, and bomb-throwing ceiling ghosts. After beating the 20 some-odd specters, Ludwig and Iggy turned to face Van Gore, Poltergusts 3000s raised. VanGore gaped in horror. "My… my creations! But, even if I disappear, my work will live on… Zat is right! Art eez eternal!", he cried. "Er, there's only one of your artvorks left", Ludwig pointed out. VanGore's jaw dropped. "You say zat only one is left?! But zis cannot be!", he exclaimed in dismay. "Whine to someone who cares, not us", growled Iggy. And with that, he vacuumed VanGore in an instant. The treasure chest painting glowed for a split=second, and a key materialized out of the canvas. "Hurry! Ve have to go and rescue Father from King Boo! There isn't a second to lose!", Ludwig said. Both Koopalings sprinted out of the artist's studio and back down to the basement…

They rushed down the hallway, avoiding any ghosts that tried to attack them. Ludwig threw open the door and he, along with Iggy, stormed inside. "Ludwig! Iggy! You made it!", Bowser cried in relief. King Boo looked unfazed by the Koopaling's "dramatic" entrance. All right, King Boo! Hand over our dad… Or else!", Iggy growled angrily. King Boo turned around, a malicious grin on his face. "Or else what?", he challenged with a raised eyebrow. Iggy frowned. "Er… Ah… Um… Hm… Well, I didn't think we'd get this far so I hadn't thought about that yet!", Iggy admitted with a shrug. "Here, I'll cut to the chase. Either you release our dad from zat accursed painting, or ve'll attack! So vat's it gonna be?", Ludwig threatened. King Boo merely laughed. "Pfft! I'm not afraid of you fools! I only fear those Poltergust 3000s you carry on your backs! Stupid machine! But, I am a King among Boos, I shall fear no mere house-cleaning device! I must say I despised the way you vacuumed up all my friends! Don't imagine I'll flee, I'll fight you like a true Boo!", King Boo said. He suddenly phased into the Bowser painting, which turned into a swirling vortex. It sucked the two Koopalings in with its pull, then came darkness…

Iggy and Ludwig found themselves on an alternate version of the roof. Iggy looked around and shuddered. "Ever get the feeling that something REALLY bad is about to ha-", Iggy was interrupted as Giga Bowser landed behind them! **"ROOOOAAAAAAARRRRRR!!!!!!", **Giga Bowser roared furiously. The sound was so terrible that Ludwig and Iggy had to cover their unseen ears in order to relieve themselves of the noise. Giga Bowser was HUGE. Standing at over 15 feet tall, he was twice regular Bowser's size. And 10 times scarier at that. His horns were large and devilish, while his fangs were so big that he had to keep his mouth open constantly. That caused him to mouth-breathe in a raspy tone. His electric blue shell was covered in dagger-like spikes. It was all Ludwig and Iggy could to do to prevent themselves from running away, screaming like little girls. Ludwig, having regained his composure, spoke, "Come on, Iggy… Ve have to fight this thing!", Iggy nodded, even though he was still pretty scared. Both brothers got into fighting stances as Giga Bowser approached. Giga Bowser roared, then charged at the Koopalings, fangs bared. Iggy and Ludwig leapt out of the way in opposite directions, Giga Bowser missing them by mere inches. Iggy jumped onto a chimney pillar and then onto the back of Giga Bowser's shell. With a snarl, Iggy plunged his own razor-sharp fangs into the massive Koopa's shoulder. Giga Bowser growled in pain and tried to shake Iggy off, but the Koopaling held on tight! Giga Bowser reached up with a scaly, clawed hand and took a firm grip on Iggy's tail. Roaring, Giga Bowser yanked Iggy from his shoulder, then threw him at Ludwig! Iggy landed on top of his older sibling with a thud. "Dang it, Iggy, vatch out!", Ludwig yelled, pushing Iggy out of the way before Giga Bowser shot a blast of fire at them. The two Koopalings hid behind the chimney. "What the Hell do we do?! This guy's invincible! Not even my fangs could hurt him!", Iggy cried. "He has to have a veak point! Everything does…", replied Ludwig. They didn't have much time to think of an attack plan, since Giga Bowser had just smashed the chimney they hid behind! "Aw, crap!", Iggy cried, dodging the falling rubble. Giga Bowser suddenly conjured up spiked mines and threw them around the roof. This gave Ludwig and an idea. "Iggy! See those mines? Ve can hurt him vith those!", he exclaimed. Ludwig sucked in one of the mines with his Poltergust 3000 and took aim. As Giga Bowser got close, Ludwig fired! Giga Bowser's head was blown clean off, but surprisingly, there was no blood. King Boo flew out of Giga Bowser's body, laughing. "So you two found out that Giga Bowser was a fake, eh? No matter… I shall defeat you myself!", King Boo spoke. Ludwig jumped in front of the Boo and switched on his Poltergust 3000. King Boo's HP level was pretty high, over 500 to be precise, but the hit points were dropping fast. "Ludwig, we have a problem!", Iggy called out, pointing to something. Ludwig wheeled around to see Giga Bowser's disembodied head floating in the air, shooting blocks of ice at Iggy. "Distract him! I don't care how!", Ludwig yelled back. Iggy snarled, then shot several fireballs to get Giga Bowser's attention. By this time, Ludwig had managed to drain King Boo's hit points down to 200. What he didn't count on, however, was King Boo fusing back with Giga Bowser. The demonic beast started running blindly around the arena, crushing anything in his path. Luckily, the Koopalings were able to evade it. Giga Bowser halted to a stop, and then executed his mine attack again. Iggy grabbed a mine this time as Giga Bowser approached. Iggy fired the mine while Ludwig got his Poltergust 3000 ready. As King Boo appeared, Iggy burned up Giga Bowser's head with his fire breath, rendering it useless. Ludwig sprung into action and vacuumed King Boo with all of his might. As King Boo's hit points dropped ever closer to Zero, he screamed out in anger, "How is it possible that you mortals can fight like this?! Its unreal! I am the all-powerful King- ", King Boo was cut off as Ludwig finally defeated him. "You're just a pathetic white blob with a big tongue", Ludwig finished flatly. Iggy walked over to Ludwig with a big grin on his face. "Yeah-ah-ah! You did it, man!", Iggy cheered, literally jumping for joy. Ludwig just smiled in relief, glad that the fight was over.


	14. Chapter 14

Iggy and Ludwig were transported back to the secret altar, where Bowser's painting was waiting for them. "Thank God you guys are still in one piece!", Bowser remarked. "Like some ghost would ever beat us!", Iggy said confidently. King Boo's crown dropped at Iggy's feet. Iggy picked it up and looked it over with an air of interest. He felt a strange urge to put the crown on, when- "Don't EVEN think about it!", both Bowser and Ludwig intervened sternly. "OK! OK! You guys sure can't take jokes, huh?", Iggy laughed, setting the crown down by his side. Ludwig's Gameboy Horror crackled to life and Professor E. Gadd's face appeared onscreen. "Iggy! Ludwig! That was amazing! You two have made me so proud!", E. Gadd praised. He then continued, "So King Boo jumped into a painting of Giga Bowser, you say? Well in all my years of ghost research, I've never heard such a fantastical tale! And that career spans over 60 years, mind you! Why I recall starting out as a shivering little whelp who trembled at the mere thought of a ghost! …Oh, beg your pardon, this old brain is just recollecting! Why just last…". "Professor!", Iggy cut in sharply. E. Gadd snapped back to attention. "…Right! Well, anyhoo, grab your father's painting and bring him back to the lab. I have the machine ready to turn Bowser back to normal", E. Gadd replied before signing off. "Who was that, boys?", Bowser asked. "That vas Professor Elvin Gadd. He's the scientist who helped us fight all of those ghosts. He also gave Junior that paintbrush he likes so much. If it weren't for E. Gadd's help, ve probably vould be dead now", Ludwig explained. "He also has a machine that will restore you back to your regular state", Iggy added. "They why are we still wasting time in this dump? Let's get the Hell outta here!", Bowser growled. Ludwig and Iggy took Bowser's painting off the wall, then hurried out of the mansion one last time.

When the three Koopas got to E. Gadd's house, they immediately rushed downstairs and into the lab. "Heh, this may sound incredible, but you both have done it! All your hard work lasted a single night! Hmm, the mansion may have disappeared into the night, but all that treasure you collected seems to be real. I have no interest in that sort of stuff, so go on and use it however you like!", E. Gadd said. Ludwig and Iggy's eyes lit up. They hadn't realized that they had been collecting money as well, since the two Koopalings were preoccupied with fighting ghost. "Whoa, we can fund a ton of inventions with all this cash! Thanks so much, Gadd!", Iggy said gratefully. "But our first priority is helping our father", Ludwig spoke, pointing to Bowser's painting. "Yeah, can you get on with the dang thing already?", Bowser grumbled, starting to get irritated. "OK, enough prattling on about money. I'd guess we'd better get your dad back, then! Of course he's really important, but first we have to take care of these last few ghosts", E. Gadd said. Ludwig and Iggy hastily plugged their Poltergust 3000s into the Ghost Portrificationizer. E. Gadd then switched on the machine, and within five minutes, all of the ghosts, including King Boo, were turned back into paintings. "OK, now we can restore your father's corporeal form. I just need to reverse the settings", E. Gadd said. He flicked a few switches on the Ghost Portrificationizer and put Bowser's painting into the slot. After several painful grunts and electric jolts, Bowser was thrown out of the machine, and back to his old self! "Dad, you're OK!", Iggy cried. "I sure am, Iggy. Now… where's that so-called 'King' Boo? I'm gonna make his afterlife Hell for what he did to me", Bowser growled. "You don't have to worry about that, King Boo's already been taken care of", E. Gadd replied, pointing to the King Boo/Giga Bowser painting. "Hang on", Bowser grunted. He took out a magic marker, then scribbled a moustache and glasses on King Boo's face. "Good enough", Bowser said in a brisk, serious tone, even though what he just did was extremely childish. "Yah, real mature, dad", Ludwig said sarcastically as he rolled his eyes. Bowser ignored the comment. "Hey dad, we finally got the Stealth Scanner prototyped completed", Iggy said, handing Bowser the portable device. Bowser inspected it from each angle, checking for any mistakes. "Hmm… flawless design. But why'd it keep blowing up?", he questioned. "Vell, it vas due to some faulty viring. E. Gadd rerouted the circuit connections zat caused the anomaly, so credit goes to him, too", Ludwig spoke. Bowser turned around to look at E. Gadd. "Ah, yes, Gadd… my youngest son Junior met you about 2 years ago. You gave him that magic paintbrush", he said gruffly. "Well, technically, its not magic. It was created by science", E. Gadd corrected. Bowser scowled. He HATED getting corrected by people, because corrections would mean that your previous actions were wrong. Bowser growled a bit and continued, "Uh huh… Anyway, he always spoke highly of you since you two met. And since you helped two more of my children, more importantly, in order to save ME, the Koopa King, I… uh, thanks". Ludwig and Iggy looked at each other, surprised. They had NEVER seen Bowser thank anyone before, let alone a human! Not to mention that human helped the Mario Bros. on several occasions! "Wow… Dad thanked someone?! Zat's a first!", Ludwig chuckled. Bowser turned his fiery eyes on his oldest son. "ROAR! Joke about me again and I'll feed you to the Chain Chomps!", the Koopa King snarled. Ludwig immediately shut his mouth. "Well guys, whaddya say we go home? It's almost sunrise and I wanna go to bed", Iggy suggested. "Yeah, so much for pranking Toad Town", Ludwig said. "Eh, this was way more fun!", Iggy replied. "Come on boys, everyone's gonna be wonderin' where the Hell we are", Bowser chimed in. "Take care, now! And Iggy, don't forget to bring that portable atom-cannon over. I wanna give it a go", E. Gadd chuckled.

Bowser, Iggy and Ludwig walked out of E. Gadd's lab and back into Forever Forest, which was now slightly easier to traverse through as the storm started to pass.

THE END


End file.
